No Exit
by kepulver
Summary: A novelization of a scene from Astonishing X-Men #2 Age of Apocalypse era : on the eve of the Chicago culling, Sabretooth asks Blink for help in defeating Holocaust.


**Author's Note: **Story takes place in Marvel's Age of Apocalypse (big frickin' surprise, I know). Events in this story are a novelization of pages 16, 18-19 of _The Astonishing X-Men_ #2 (V.1), April 1995. Every piece of dialogue is taken from those pages and was originally written by Scott Lobdell; scene descriptions are based off artwork by Joe Madureira (pencils) and Dan Green and Tim Townsend (inkers).

**No Exit:**

**Chicago. What's left of it:**

"From up here, the city looks almost peaceful." Sabretooth looked out over what remained of the City of Broad Shoulders. He'd had a lot of good times in Chi-town, back before the world had ended -- and a few after it had ended -- though he didn't like to think about either of those times. "In an empty, tragic sort o'way."

Wild Child was a comfortable and somewhat comforting weight on his shoulder, the other feral's breathing was slow and steady. Sabretooth had knocked him out before they'd left the Mansion to come here; he was going to have enough to deal with without adding riding herd on Wild Child to the mix.

"But it isn't empty _ye_t Mr. Creed." Behind him, Blink sounded young and earnest, hopeful even in the face of the devastation surrounding them. "And with Holocaust making his way here, we have to get these people _clear_."

Sabretooth tightened his grip on Wild Child's chain. The sheer grit and determination in Blink's voice, showing a hint of the woman she would hopefully live to grow into, made it all the harder to bring himself to say what needed to be said.

Still, he had a lot of sins to atone for and that was a big part of why he was here today. "S'funny, pup -- that's why I asked you up here." He was amazed at the lightness of her tone, as if they were simply out seeing the sights or taking Kyle on a hunting run. "I wantcha to -- "

"Please." Blink interrupted him and for a moment Sabretooth's heart twisted at the anguish in his adopted daughter's voice. "Please, _please_, please, _don't_ ask me." Her voice cracked and it was a painful reminder of just how young she still was. "You want me to teleport you _to_ him, don't you? You're asking me to help you commit suicide."

Sabretooth turned toward Blink, schooling his face to try and keep from showing Blink just how close to the mark she was.

"I ain't doin' _no such_ thing." He cupped her face in his hands, amazed at how tall she's gotten. So much bigger than when he'd first found her; back then he could cradle her in one arm, these days they were almost face to face. "I'm just tryin' to buy Rogue and the rest o'ya some time is all. I know me an' Kyle can't stop Holocaust on our own -- but we can give the rest o'you a chance…"

"I…" Blink hesitated and for a moment, they were both caught by the knowledge that this just might be it. The last good-bye they would ever share.

Selfish and nonsensical as the thought was, Sabretooth was glad that Kyle was out cold for this. Much as he loved the kid, he wanted this moment to be between himself and his daughter alone.

"I've never told anyone this before." Blink's voice was steady, each word pronounced carefully. "But sometimes, late at night, I _pray_."

Tears ran down Blink's face and Sabretooth caught one on his finger; watched it soak into the leather of his glove as Blink took hold of his hand. He didn't say anything -- couldn't really and not just because he didn't want to interrupt as Blink continued:

"Sometimes, it's to ask for help -- so that we all make it through another day. Sometimes, it's just to let Him know how confused or mad or sad I am -- just someone to talk to." Blink paused and took a breath. "But, _every_ night -- no matter what -- I say thank you. 'Thank you for putting Victor Creed on this world.' I thank Him 'cause you're the one who rescued me from Abyss all those years ago."

Sabretooth had thought he was a connoisseur of pain; after all, he'd been hit by damn near everything it was possible to be hit by short of a tacnuke -- and not very short of that. But nothing -- _nothing_ -- in his entire life hurt him as much the raw gratitude on Blink's face.

He didn't deserve this kind of love, not by a long shot, but somehow despite all she knew about him, Blink didn't see it that way and that stung Sabretooth in ways his healing factor couldn't defend against. Blink gulped and swallowed, giving him a shy grin. "Pretty stupid, no?"

For a second, Sabretooth couldn't pitch his voice louder than a whisper. "I don't think it's stupid at all, pup." Louder, he continued: "'Stupid' is not fightin'. It's giving up."

Sabretooth's arms dropped to his sides. The moon is higher now; it's almost full darkness. "Clarice, I need ya to send me to Holocaust so I can take one last poke at 'im. Then I need one other thing."

Blink looked down at her feet. "Name it."

Sabretooth grinned at her and felt his animal side rise, ready and eager for the coming fight. "After he takes me out -- and make no mistake, he will -- I need ya to kick his butt all the way back to hell -- and tell 'im, "_THAT_ was for Victor Creed!" Can you do that for me, pup?"

Blink grinned back at him and Sabretooth couldn't have been prouder at the fierceness on her face. "Yes sir."

"_NO WAY!_" Rogue dropped in seemingly from nowhere, landing between the two of them and sending Sabretooth staggering back a half-step. On his shoulder, Wild Child growled and stirred but didn't wake. "No way are y'all throwin your lives away on my watch, Sabretooth! Now get down that hill and help with the evac -- or _so help me_, Ah'll drag ya all the way back to the mansion and chain ya t'the front stoop!"

In a way, Sabretooth was grateful to Rogue -- the high-handed bitch gave him and Blink both a convenient target for their anger and fear.

"Don't make me have t'fight ya, Rogue," he growled. "Neither one of us'd enjoy it."

"Ah'm not -- " Rogue didn't get the chance to finish her sentence before she was bathed in pink light and then flickered suddenly. From where Sabretooth stood, it was as if Rogue's reception fuzzed out for a moment. When her picture cleared, she dropped to the ground in a boneless heap.

"Ya displaced her for what -- a fraction of a second?" Sabretooth was impressed and his voice showed it. He was also glad to see Blink did have a rebellious streak to her. It meant he raised her right and that whatever happened, she'd be okay.

"She'll be fine in a minute." Blink cast one of her teleportation disks at him and Wild Child. "You'll…be gone by then."

"Thanks, pup," Sabretooth said as he and Wild Child disappeared from Chicago.

X X X

Blink watched her foster father disappear with Kyle. Even knowing all she did about all the horrible things Mr. Creed had done, about the ocean's worth of blood on his hands -- and Kyle's too -- she would have given anything to bring them both back and disappear somewhere. The Amazon or the Arctic or anywhere Apocalypse and Holocaust and the rest of this damn war weren't. But she couldn't. Whatever Mr. Creed's plan was, she had to hope that it was a good one. Or at least better than what they had going for them.

"Thank me, Mr. Creed…by coming home."


End file.
